Although occurring more at middle age, it can affect people of all ages. However, women are more susceptible than men.

When the immune system misbehaves and accidentally attacks healthy tissue, rheumatoid arthritis can occur. It is an autoimmune disease. Genes, hormonal changes and infection are some reasons why this disease can occur.

Starting with minor joint pain, rheumatoid arthritis can soon result in loss of motion and deformity to the joints.

Apart from this, chest pain, dry mouth and eyes, burning sensation in the eyes accompanied by itching and discharge, tingling and numbness in the feet and hands and skin nodules are some of the other symptoms.

Patients usually require lifelong treatment which could include medication, exercise, physical therapy and surgery.

Turmeric for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Can turmeric help in Rheumatoid arthritis? The answer seems to be yes.

As I do in all cases associated with turmeric benefits, I will provide here with briefs of various studies conducted which prove turmeric benefits in case of Rheumatoid arthritis.

As indicated in several of my articles before, the proofs existing for natural cures such as turmeric are sometimes not as strong (or maybe just documented) as that of modern medicine. But that does mean they are not effective.

Why turmeric if beneficial? It is because of its amazing anti-inflammatory properties. The
medicinal properties of turmeric have been well documented for centuries by practitioners of Ayurveda.

Usually, this disorder is very hard to treat and the patient needs to take immunosuppressive medications for the whole life to keep the immune system from attacking its own body parts.

One of the most popular medications used by RA patients are NSAIDs. This in turn causes other problems and side effects.

It is thus important to switch to some permanent, more effective and less toxic treatment for the disease which eases the symptoms and helps cope up with it in a short span of time.

How turmeric can help in rheumatoid arthritis

The disorder of rheumatoid arthritis in rats is known as collagen induced arthritis which is similar in most contexts to the human rheumatoid arthritis.

The experimental trials are majorly done on collagen induced arthritis in rats and the effects are correlated with those in humans.

1. Turmeric exerts anti inflammatory effects on RA

The major effect of the attack of immune system on the body is inflammation. When the immune system starts attacking a body part, it activates certain cytokines and the cells of the target tissue also secrete and enzyme called COX2.

The enzyme COX 2 helps in formation of prostaglandin E2 which attract the inflammatory cytokines and the immune system thus gets direction of the target tissue. These target tissues in case of RA are usually the joints.

It is thus very important to stop the formation of COX, Prostaglandin E2 and inflammatory cytokines to prevent the attack on the target tissues and consequent inflammation.

Recent research has evidenced that curcumin from turmeric, if fed continuously in considerable amounts, significantly decreases the levels of COX enzyme and consequently, prostaglandin E2. This helps in the inhibition of the target tissue to attract the inflammatory cytokines.

Another research study has found that curcumin – an active ingredient in turmeric – can benefit those with rheumatoid arthritis since it has anti-arthritic and anti-inflammatory properties.

A study was done to determine the effectiveness and safety of using curcumin independently and combined with Voltaren – a Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID).

The study found that bioavailable forms of curcumin were high effective in easing rheumatoid arthritis symptoms such as swollen and tender joints. Those who took only turmeric demonstrated greater improvement in their symptoms

What it means: curcumin from turmeric helps in reduction of the inflammation in the joints and other tissues by preventing the release of inflammatory enzymes and cytokines in the body and by preventing their attack on the target tissue .

2. Turmeric helps in reduction in degeneration of arthritic tissues and joints

Generally, when the tissues get attacked by the immune system in the body, they get inflamed and start degenerating. This process occurs because inflammation induces cell death which slowly degenerates the whole tissue in the target area.

In an experiment done on collagen induced arthritis in rats, it was found that regular dosage of this herb in medicinal amounts reduces the degeneration of the tissues which are a target to the immune system in this disease.

This helps in pain management and prevention of the other accessory disorders that accompany or follow long term arthritis. The experiment was majorly done with turmeric extracts which seemed to show efficient and quick results in treating the disorder.

What it means: regular consumption of turmeric helps in reducing or arresting the process of degeneration in the arthritic bones, joints and tissues. This prevents the occurrence of other diseases which usually prevail after suffering from arthritis for a long time .

3. Turmeric induces programmed cell death in the inflamed and damaged tissue to protect the nearby cells

In rheumatoid arthritis, when the cells in a tissue are damaged and inflamed, they still survive with that damage and keep on dividing. In case the damage becomes irreparable, they under normal conditions undergo cell death but in case of RA, most don’t.

This damage has the risk of being passed down to the next generation of cells via cell division and increase the amount of damaged tissue. Overall, this exacerbates the pain and discomfort in this disease.

The process of cell death in case of irreparable damage is known apoptosis. This occurs normally in cells and is regulated by pro apoptotic and anti apoptotic factors.

Pro apoptotic factors such as different types of caspases get activated when an irreparable damage is detected. On the contrary, anti apoptotic factors are constitutively active in the cell to prevent unnecessary apoptosis or unnecessary activation of pro apoptotic factors.

In case of diseases like cancer and rheumatoid arthritis, when the tissue gets damages, in majority of the cases, the apoptosis is dysregulated. The pro apoptotic factors are down regulated where as the anti apoptotic factors are up regulated.

In rheumatoid arthritis, the damage in the cells usually makes them acquire the genes that produce the pro inflammatory molecules like COX. The damage, if passed down in new cells, increases the amounts of this inflammatory molecule release and attracts the immune system even more.

This damage is very important to control by letting the bad cells die, but if the apoptotic machinery is non functional or dysregulated, it makes the cells unable to die even in the case of extensive damage which is in fact passed down to the next generation of the cells by cell division.

Curcumin from turmeric has been found to regulate this dysregulated process of apoptosis in the inflamed cells in rheumatoid arthritis.

A research has shown that it increases the amount of the pro apoptotic factors (caspase 9 and caspase 3) in damaged cells and decreases the amount of anti apoptotic factors like Bcl 2 in the same.

This leads to the programmed cell death of the damaged cell as it should happen ideally. Overall, the whole process prevents the damage to spread in the newly formed tissue and in the nearby cells.

What it means: curcumin from turmeric induces programmed cell death in the cells containing extensive irreparable damage and prevents them from dividing and letting the damage pass down to newly made cells, ultimately reducing the damage .

4.Curcumin exerts protective effects on the joints

For people with the family history of rheumatoid arthritis, the occurrence of this disease is more likely. Such people are more at risk of getting their immune systems turned against their own tissues at any point of life and thus, should be prepared enough.

Since it can’t be detected that the person is going to have rheumatoid arthritis at some point of time in the life, it is better to take harmless precautionary measures anyway especially for those having this disease in the family.

Research has shown that regular consumption of turmeric in regulated amounts protects the tissues from releasing inflammatory molecules and attracting their immune system to attack on. Curcumin from turmeric also reduces the amounts of cytokines in the blood specifically targeted to the joints.

In other words, curcumin prevents the turning of immune system against one’s own body tissues by exerting protective effects on both the tissue and the immune system.

In this research it was also found that a number of curcuminoids found in turmeric extracts, especially turmeric oils are responsible for this protective effect on the joints. Curcuminoids are the different derivatives of curcumin, out of which three have been identified as most effective.

In one study, 18 patients with rheumatoid arthritis were divided into groups. One group was given 1200mg / day curcumin and the other 300mg/day of phenylbutazone. At the end of the tests, both groups showed improvement in symptoms of morning stiffness, joint swelling and walking time improved.

What it means: on regular consumption, curcuminoids from turmeric exert protective effects on joints and immune system by preventing the inflammation and the onset of rheumatoid arthritis beforehand .

Oxidation, just like inflammation is a process that leads to extensive damage in the cells of the joints in rheumatoid arthritis. Oxidation is caused when the damage in the joints due to immune attack starts secreting oxidative molecules, also known as reactive oxygen species.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as NOS, peroxide and others react with the cellular components and kill them so that the cell dies. This leads to increased degeneration of the tissue which exacerbates the effects of rheumatoid arthritis.

In many research studies, it has been found that curcumin inhibits the secretion of several of the reactive oxygen species in the tissue under immune attack in rheumatoid arthritis. This effect is known as anti oxidant effect which curcumin is known for.

Preventing the secretion or formation of various oxidants helps in reducing the damage to the joints and also prevents the premature and unnecessary death of the target cells. Ultimately, there is reduced degeneration, pain, inflammation and other similar symptoms on consumption of this herb.

What it means: curcumin from turmeric exerts anti oxidant effects and helps prevent the oxidation in the cells of the joints so that there is reduced degeneration in the target tissue accompanied by ameliorated symptoms and better pain management .

6. Turmeric can help in pain management

While RA associated pain is already discussed in the above sections along various ways turmeric can help in managing it. But I wanted to discuss this separately too as it is a very important aspect for a RA patient.

Several of my readers (who have RA) have written to me and discussed how by taking turmeric they felt better (without taking their medications). Their stories are long and thus I have just put snippets here.

But these enough for anyone to get inspired and to give turmeric a try.

Readers speak:

1. I cannot believe it that I can move around without pain and without my medication. – Shriya, India

2. I have been taking golden paste for over 4 months now and the pain is very manageable now. Atleast I am not taking my painkillers anymore. – requested to be anon

3. Enjoyed my first vacation in peace after so many years …. thanks to turmeric. – – requested to be anon

4. My mom has RA, we came to know about turmeric from your website. I got some t powder for her and made capsules as she hated the taste. She feels much better now. so happy that she is happy – Tim, UK

5. Turmeric has done what my medications were not doing so much less pain. my whole family take it in some form of other – Eve, USA

Thus, it is not just research in lab which indicates that turmeric is great for Rheumatoid arthritis but experience of thousands of people who are making it part of their life now.

Turmeric Dosage for Rheumatoid arthritis

The best to take turmeric as part of your diet and only go for supplements when there is no other choice.

One can easily take upto 1 gm of turmeric powder per day without any issues.

Precautions

Turmeric as a spice is very safe.

Turmeric is one of the safest herbs known to man, being used traditionally for medicinal purposes since centuries. Recent research has also proven its efficacy for treating several complex disorders including cancers and arthritis.

However, consumption of turmeric in therapeutic amounts by pregnant and nursing women has not yet been analysed scientifically. Due to lack of evidence of safety, it is advised to avoid its consumption in large amounts during gestation and breast feeding.

Turmeric may induce mild stomach aches, diarrhoea and kidney stones on over consumption. It is known to reduce blood clotting and can increase the effects of drugs like warfarin that reduce blood clotting, if taken along with it.

Conversely, it can interfere with the drugs that increase blood clotting if consumed along with those. Its consumption should be stopped 2 weeks before a scheduled surgery to avoid the risk of bleeding.

Turmeric also reduces blood sugar levels and if taken in large amounts along with diabetes medications, it can cause hypoglycaemia.

Most of the side effects of turmeric occur when one takes its large dosages for a long time. If you include turmeric in your diet that possibility is greatly reduced and you can enjoy its benefits for lifetime.

Summary

Turmeric, also known as the golden spice, works wonders medicinally for several disorders which are not easily treated by synthetic drugs or allopathic therapies.

It is emerging as one of the most effective herbs to consume for majorly non treatable or complicated disorders like rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune ailments.

It works through its active ingredient, curcumin, which has potent anti oxidant and anti inflammatory effects on the body and helps in preventing, protecting and healing the joints against the immune system attack. Turmeric, thus, is emerging as an efficient, non toxic and potential therapeutic herb for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

27 Comments

Just love your writing way. Because you have shared nice staff in your article. Also you have pointed some precautions along with turmeric benefits in this article. Thanks for your valuable information dear. Keep it up..

I highly recommend The Synergy Company’s Turmeric supplement. It is organic and very bioavailabe. I also recommend taking a GMP omega/krill supplement as well. Both supplements are very affective for RA and overall health.

I have always had a lower back pain for 7 years. when i become consistent in taking turmeric i do not feel pain i can easily bend now which i could not do. it would be so painful.
My dose is 1tspn powder , 1/4 tspn black pepper in glass of warm milk.
You can also use 1tspn turmeric powder in a glass of lemon/mix with honey if you do not like milk.

July of 2015, I was diagnosis with RA not by Blood test, but by x ray, my hands and wrist were swollen like pickles. X ray showed minor deterioration. My rheumatologist put me on methotrexate, after a few weeks still know help, my liver started to hurt, my hair was falling out, I was dizzy not a little but alot. So I decided to look for natural remedies. I found DR. Danielle turmeric on amazon. Amazing results no pain no inflammation my hair is growing back I’m not dizzy and I feel absolutely fabulous thanks to Dr Danielles. Over 5,000 reviews and all of them are doing very well and I’m one of them

Hi Tanisha, thanks. We sent some queries to them about their product – we are still waiting for their reply on that. We only recommend a product when we get full details of the product ourselves. As of now there has been quiet some delay in getting that from DR. Danielle turmeric.

Im on methotrexate as well for past 4 months..while it helps the ease the pain my hair started to fall alot. My rheumatologist is increasing the dosage and now is including sulphasalazine together as the inflammation is still active. And through my online reading, these drugs are not good for long term. I am also looking and trying natural remedies as much as i can. I will try this turmeric remedy and hope it will do good for myself. I dont want to rely on the modern drug for long.

You are welcome, and you’re right, the supplement is not enough. Recently found turmeric root; now I grate one root, cut about 3″ length and take one capsule of curcumin daily. The aroma and taste of Turmeric Root is delicious and fresh. Combined the two made a difference in overall health and well being…. I enjoy making soup, using grated black pepper to increase bioavailability I’ve been told is very important. Having the actual root is very new to me and it’s yummy.

Yes, fresh root has different taste from powder as it also has oils. It is great to take fresh root as a few of the good stuff gets lost when powder is made. You can also use fats (which will come automatically if you use it in curries etc.) to make it absobable along with BP.

Very true. But I have immunomodulatory peptide [ small chain amino acids] ampules, that , injected once a month, can put RA into remission. They can be like magic, pain gone in a day. But the therapy is limited to a few doctors in Europe and the US.

I enjoy your knowledge of turmeric root and sharing your thoughts on this site is phenomenally helpful. I have been using curcumin since, 2011 in an effort to lower my high cholesterol levels. Subsequently, it lowered my LDL by, 30%. My doctor and I were pleased. Most importantly, I couldn’t taken statins due to the side effect. Now, while I took the supplement curcumin daily, 500mg twice a day, another problem I’d suffered from for decades began to disappear. Curcumin helped eliminate a skin disorder known as HS ( hydradenitis suppurativa)…… There is no cure for this debilitating disease, but curcumin/turmeric root taken daily, can and does help….. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to get help and share in helping others.

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